Say hello to the best Monster Cookies recipe around – and your newest favorite snack!
They’re a perfect mash-up of creamy peanut butter, chewy oats, crunchy M&M’s, and dreamy chocolate chips.
Trust me, one batch won’t be enough. Let’s get baking!
Why You’ll Love These Monster Cookies
If you’re a fan of chocolate chip cookies, you’ll love these monster cookies.
Think of them like a fun monster mash-up of chocolate chip cookies and kitchen sink cookies. There’s a lot going on!
Here’s what you can expect:
Soft & Chewy: These cookies strike the perfect balance between soft and chewy. They’re irresistible from the first bite to the last crumb.
Customizable: These cookies are a canvas for your culinary creativity. Want to toss in some nuts or swap M&M’s for peanut butter chips? Go for it. Make them your own.
Kid-Friendly: Kids will jump at the chance to help make these bad boys. And between the candies and chocolate, they’ll want to devour them right away!
Ingredients
You’ll find the full list with measurements at the bottom of the page.
For now, let’s break down what makes these jazzed-up oatmeal and peanut butter cookies so special.
- Unsalted butter: The rich, creamy base. Use room-temperature butter so it creams better with sugars.
- White & Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a hint of caramel, while granulated sugar keeps things crisp on the edges.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Here’s the glue holding all the magic together. Peanut butter gives these cookies their signature nutty flavor and chewy texture.
- Eggs: The backbone of the cookie structure, the eggs bind everything together and add richness.
- Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla infuses the dough with deep, aromatic flavors.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the dough.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The leavening agents responsible for making the cookies rise.
- Salt: Just a pinch to amplify flavors and balance the sweetness.
- Quick-Cooking Oats: Add that chewy, hearty texture, making each bite satisfyingly substantial.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips and M&M’s: Add pockets of chocolatey goodness and a pop of color. They’re what makes these cookies a feast for the senses.
How to Make Monster Cookies
While these may be ideal Halloween cookies, making monster cookies isn’t scary at all—it’s easy and fun.
Let’s do this!
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until they’re fluffy. Then mix in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Mix the dry ingredients to evenly distribute the leavening agents.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Do this by hand to keep from overmixing the dough.
5. Add the mix-ins. You’ll want to add the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M candies before all the flour is fully mixed in. Otherwise, you’ll overwork the dough, and it’ll need to rest before baking.
6. Spoon and bake. Portion the dough and bake until the edges are golden and set.
7. Cool and enjoy. Let the cookies sit on the tray for a bit before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Then serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Cookies
Follow these tips to make sure your cookies come out top-notch every time.
- Use a kitchen scale for accuracy. A scale eliminates the guesswork in measuring ingredients, especially flour.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Keep things just combined to avoid tough cookies. A gentle hand means your cookies will be just as tender as you want them.
- Chill the dough. A chilled dough means less spread and more chew.
- Use light-colored baking sheets. Dark sheets can cause the bottoms to overbrown. Light sheets mean even baking and perfect bottoms every time.
- Check your oven’s true temp. Use an oven thermometer to ensure the temperature is just right.
- Watch the baking time closely. These cookies might seem underbaked at first glance, but that’s their secret to staying soft. Trust the timing; they firm up as they cool.
Optional Mix-Ins
Jazz up your monster cookies with whatever catches your eye in the pantry! For example:
- Add texture – Toss in some nuts for crunch, butterscotch chips for sweetness, or pretzels for that salty kick.
- Make them chocolatey – Can’t choose between dark, white, or milk chocolate chips? Why not all three?
- Add some chew – If you’re feeling adventurous, dried fruits or different types of M&M’s can add a fun twist.
The sky’s the limit, so mix and match to your heart’s content.
And if you want M&M cookies without the oats, I have yo uncovered. These soft and chewy M&M cookies are everything you want and more!
How to Store & Freeze
I can’t imagine these will last that long. In my house, they’re gone in a day or two.
But if you can resist them for longer than that, here’s how to keep your monster cookies fresh and delicious:
To Make Ahead: Scoop the dough onto a tray (no need for spacing), freeze until solid, then toss into a freezer bag. Bake from frozen and add 2 minutes to the bake time.
To Store: After baking and cooling, pop them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days on your counter.
To Freeze: Cool the cookies completely, then stash them in a freezer-safe container. They’ll be good for three months.
More Cookie Recipes
S’mores Cookies
Fruitcake Cookies
Cowboy Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Marry Me Cookies
Monster Cookies
24
servings15
minutes12
minutes270
kcalSay hello to the best Monster Cookies recipe around! They’re a perfect mash-up of creamy, chewy, crunchy, and dreamy. Trust me, one batch won’t be enough.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit (180°Celsius) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then, gradually stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture with a spatula, stopping just before it’s fully combined.
- Add the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M candies, and gently stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough and no streaks of flour are visible.
- Portion the dough into rounded tablespoonfuls and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookie edges should be lightly golden and the centers should be barely set.
- Remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Try other add-ins, such as chopped nuts, pretzels, other candies, or different types of chips (butterscotch, white chocolate, etc.)
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
